PLUMBERS, electricians and locksmiths drink the equivalent of 1.3 bathfuls of tea every year, new research suggests.

Hospitable customers offer Britain's tradespeople 3.83 cups of tea on average during every shift, which brews up to a thirst quenching 900 cups a year.

But going beyond the call of duty on jobs also means tradespeople are "almost another emergency service", the company behind the research revealed. Elderly women are the most likely to make tea during a housecall, as 47 per cent of them offer to put the kettle on.

Young men are the least hospitable, tradespeople agreed, as just one in 100 suggest a cuppa. The research, by Direct Line Home Response 24 also suggests the stereotype that the British are obsessed with the weather still holds true - 79 per cent of the tradespeople polled said their customers talk about it.

Gary Lynch, from local company Brilliant Bathrooms, who while not literally drinking bathfuls of tea can confirm the findings: "We usually get offered a cup of tea about two or three times a day, I never turn down one down as you never know when you'll get the next one. It helps to sip while you work."

Mr Lynch was also in no doubt as to which age group was the most hospitable, "The older customers do tend to be better and like to have a chat, where as the younger generation are mostly out all day."

More than one in 20 customers discuss relationship troubles and the same number (six per cent) moan about money worries, the research said. Football remains a popular topic of small talk - it was discussed by just under a third (29 per cent). Some call outs though are far from predictable.

Examples unearthed by the survey include a plumber called to mend a blocked drain after someone flushed eels down the toilet and a call out to a desperate customer locked in his own house after a party guest took his keys.

One engineer reported coming to the rescue of a woman with an oxygen machine. Her equipment was broken and she just two hours' supply left but the company's engineer could not get to her for four hours. The call out engineer fixed the problem while receiving instructions over the phone.

Local bathroom fitter Gary Lynch regularly goes beyond the call of duty, "We never say no to helping a customer, especially the elderly. I've changed lightbulbs and recently put up a clock!"

Andrew Lowe, head of insurance for Direct Line, said: "The nation's army of plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and other tradesmen are almost another emergency service. Our research has proven what many of us have already experienced - that tradespeople frequently go above and beyond their call of duty for their customers. And it's pleasing to see that we are showing our gratitude in that most British of ways - a nice cup of tea."

But further research published today has bad news for those needing work on their homes. The price of skilled labour will rise "exponentially" this year, according to Capital One Homeowner Loans. Their Builder's Price Index suggests one in two building contractors are planning a price hike, as 51 per cent of building contractors say their hourly rates will increase by an average of seven per cent in the next year.

High demand for skilled labour is behind the rises and 67 per cent predict demand will continue to grow over the next five years.

Plumbers are the most in-demand tradespeople, followed by electricians and plasterers. Booking builders for a big project such as a loft conversion takes three months on average, the research also suggested.

Special brew

  • About 40 per cent of the nation's fluid intake today will be tea, according to the United Kingdom Tea Council.
  • Tea with milk provides 16 per cent of the daily calcium requirement in four cups.
  • The average cup of tea contains less than half the level of caffiene than coffee. One cup contains only 50mg per 190ml cup.
  • Green and black teas are from the same plant, Camelia sinensis, and contain similar amounts of antioxidants and caffeine.
  • A total of 96 per cent of all cups of tea drunk daily in the UK are brewed from tea bags.
  • An overwhelming 98 per cent of people take their tea with milk, but only 30 per cent take sugar in tea.
  • And 80 per cent of office workers now say they find out more about what is going on at work over a cup of tea than in any other way.
  • Darjeeling is called the champagne of teas and is grown in India's Himalayas.